A Timid Response So Far Minister - Now Regulate

New Zealand First Leader, Rt Hon
Winston Peters, today expressed his disappointment at the
“timid approach shown by the Minister of Energy Hon Pete
Hodgson, towards protecting electricity consumers from the
fleecing they are taking from the electricity supply
companies”.

Mr Peters went on to suggest that “power
reforms that separated electricity generators, line
distribution companies, and power retailers was intended to
reduce power prices but was dependent upon the Minister’s
willingness to regulate”.

“This whole nonsense has been a
disaster for consumers from its very beginning”, said Mr
Peters, “and I cannot find one individual amongst my
constituents who has a good word to say about the game which
is now being played out on them.

Domestic home users,
small businesses and even larger scale industries, are
suffering through the uncertainties created, the incessant
increases and general dissatisfaction with the whole
process,” he said.

“But most of all, people are asking me,
where is Mr Hodgson, that champion of the people who whilst
in opposition opposed the breakup of the electricity
industry, spoke up for reduced power charges, railed against
energy price increases but has now become the silent lackey
of the new power moguls now that he is in Government.

“The
only answer to the mess he has now got himself into, and
each of us as power consumers, is to regulate the
electricity industry as it has demonstrated itself unable to
act with maturity, and in any event, this is a step long
advocated by the Minister himself when in opposition,”
concluded Mr Peters.

In response to the challenges facing Scoop and the media industry we’ve instituted an Ethical Paywall to keep the news freely available to the public.
People who use Scoop for work need to be licensed through a ScoopPro subscription under this model, they also get access to exclusive news tools.

Last week, we all owed a vote of thanks to Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad for breaking with protocol during his bilateral meeting in Singapore with New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern. Reportedly, Mahathir used the photo opportunity phase of the meeting – which usually involves just an exchange of smiles and pleasantries before the media is sent out of the room – to launch into matters of genuine substance.

By doing so, Mahathir usefully exposed how New Zealand is trying to make a virtue out of sitting on the fence over the South China Sea dispute. More>>

At the invitation of the Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, undertook a State Visit to New Zealand on 19 November 2018... More>>

One hundred and fifty academics and researchers from around Aotearoa, including Dame Anne Salmond, Emeriti Professors and several Fellows of the Royal Society, have signed a strongly-worded open letter to the Government demanding bold and urgent action to tackle climate change. More>>

“Moving towards 100 percent qualified teachers in early childhood education centres and improving adult:child ratios are among some of the key proposals for change put forward by the sector and experts in the new draft ten year strategic plan for early learning,” Chris Hipkins said. More>>

“Dame Annette King needs no introduction given her long running career as a parliamentarian where she has previously held a number senior Cabinet portfolios, including Justice, Police and Health. She also was Parliament’s longest serving female MP with 30 years’ service,” said Mr Peters. More>>